Welcome

Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and
others concerned about HIV/AIDS. Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the
conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning: Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive
and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a
username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own
physician.

All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators
of these forums. Click here for “Am I Infected?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please
provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are
true and correct to their knowledge.

The first 48 hours after you or a loved one receives a serious diagnosis can be terrifying. Receiving bad health news sparks great personal upheaval. Some people rage against the unfairness while others wither from sadness. Some people lose their faith, and others find it. Some are torn between their fear of pain and their fear of death. Families are wracked by the threat of loss. It is a time, when nothing is certain, and the future looks dark.

But no matter how devastating the diagnosis, critical actions must be taken in the short window of time following it. Among them : Learning about the conditon and it's treatments, deciding whether to involve others, finding the right doctors and hospitals seeking others opinions about what is wrong and what to do about it, managing ones work life, paying for care, and finding relief. But first you have to deal with the initial shock.

PROTECT YOURSELF :

This is a crisis. Treat it as one. Don't try to go on ,as if nothing is happenning to you. Stay home from work at least 48 hours--and cancel your your social engagements, until your feet are back under you. If you exercise, keep it up--if you feel like it. If you don't exercise regularly but feel closed in or agitated, go for a walk. If nothing else,it will remind you that the world is carrying on in spite of your news. Eat--even if you are not hungry; you don't need a hunger headache. Breath.

EDUCATE YOURSELF :

During the first days, stop reseaching your diagnosis on line if it is confusing or frightening, unless you have an acute emergency, you have some time to collect and digest that information.

But over the next few weeks, you WILL need to learn about your condition, it's probable course and how to manage its progression. Some people prefer to know only the basics, others want comprehensive knowledge.

These are some of the questions you should ask :

1. How does this disease or condition affect the body ?

2. What causes this condition to progress or get worse?

3. What tests and and procedures are commonly used to determine the course of treatment?

4. What effect does each treatment have, generally? Does it slow down its progression? How much?

5. What complications and side effects are common and uncommon- with each treatment.

Once you know the answers to those questions, discuss with your doctor how this condition affects you specifically, and the best ways to treat it, given your age, sex, and medical history.

Designate a partner :

Designationg a partner is a good idea, because the distress of receiving a serious diagnosis can affect your ability to listen and to understand unfamiar, tecnical information; a partner can write it down to be revisited later.

Its hard to question or disagree with a doctor, who seems to hold your life in his or her hands; a partner can request clarification and ask hard questions. Having someone do this, steadies the person who is ill and makes him or her feel less isolated.

This was just part of the article in the Parade Section of todays ( Sundays ) newspaper.

Those of us who have been there can sure identify with what the article has to say. I recall my diagnosis just over a year ago. I did fine the first few hours. Then I was a wreck. But I found some discussion forums (ultimately this one) and it made a big difference.